Why did you become a Sega Dreamcast collector?

[ifkz]

I got to chatting to the owner of an online game shop out of Amazon.com and I found out he was a Dreamcast collector. I'm a fan of Sega, so I naturally bought a Dreamcast and a bunch of games when it was still available in stores. I am a little surprised (and happy) that newer collectors are seeking out Sega's last system. I guess I wasn't expecting it to happen so soon after the Dreamcast was discontinued.

Any other DC collectors out there? Care to share any stories about how you got into collecting for it?

[Mr Smith]

I started collecting in 2004, however, my love for the Dreamcast did not endure more than three years. It's was an awesome console for its time, but the love faded. I have a lot of respect for those souls still devoted to it.

[Satoshi_Matrix]

I became a Dreamcast collector only recently when a fan of my lovely blog (link below!) decided to donate a Dreamcast and a spindle of CD-Rs to me. i'm a big fan of the "try before you buy" approach, and just with the Saturn with a modchip, the Dreamcast allows me to try a free version before I go out and spend $60+ on that mint copy.

I really do like the Dreamcast as it's a great system for shumps and fighters, but I still really don't like the controller. Thank god for PS2 or Saturn to Dreamcast adapters.

[sheath]

I became a Dreamcast collector in March of 2000 when about a hundred soon to be dead .com resellers were selling new Dreamcast games like Draconus: Cult of the Wyrm, Zombie Revenge, Dead or Alive 2, Crazy Taxi and MDK2 for $15 each.

I stopped being a collector sometime around 2004 with a little over 60 games. I think I've picked up one or two games each year since though.

[SpaceHarrier]

I decided to become a Dreamcast collector around August 1999, when Hollywood Video began renting the system and Sonic Adventure out a month early as a special promo. That's all it took for me. Of course, at the time I was telling myself this would be "my last console" so I went a little more crazy than usual.

[QuickSciFi]

I still have my launch day DC. And I also still have all my games from back then ('99-01). But I came to become a hardcore collector in 2008. I only wish I'd've become one the they it came out; I could've gotten so many great titles brand new when they started slashing-down prices. I actually was lucky to get a $10 U.S. Samba de Amigo Maracas kit and it's accompanying title for $5. I paid also paid $10 for an official racing wheel and another $10 for Seaman. All of them sealed, of course. Too bad I ended-up selling those before my 2008 decision to become a hardcore collector :( (I still made some money, though ;)). It was actually that sale, which I had to make for obvious financial reasons at the time, that made me realize I had been holding-off with those items for so long and sealed for a reason (even before I ever entered a gaming forum or learned there was such a thing as "hardcore collecting."). I traded a good haul, but I gained a new perspective as a gamer that day. It was the day that veered me towards the lifetyle of a true collector (and I've kept seeking great bargains ever since).

As for now, I've placed the Dreamcast as no. 2 just below the Genny/CD/32X in my list of favorite consoles (just above the NES, Saturn and PS2 :)).

From my early days as a collector:
1. Shenmue - (Also on the rise to second favorite game ever played)
2. Grandia 2
3. The House of the Dead 2
4. Tomb Raider - The Last Revelation
5. MK-Gold
6. Tokyo XTreme Racer
7. Jet Grind Radio
8. Super Magnetic Neo
9. Sonic Adventure
10. Sonic Adventure 2

Games I didn't care for, but I bought anyways because they were a dollar or less and Mint CIB at Goodwill:
1. Royal Rumble
2. World Series Baseball 2K1
3. World Series Baseball 2K2
4. NFL 2K
5. NFL 2K1
6. NBA 2K

Games I discovered were ok, so I'm glad I also found them in that $1 or less stack:
1. Airforce Delta
2. Atari Anniversary Edition
3. Sonic Shuffle

Games I always wanted since the DC's heyday, and ultimately managed to purchase:
1. Crazi Taxi
2. Giga Wing
3. Ms. Pac-Man Maze Madness
4. Power Stone 2
5. Resident Evil - Code Veronica
6. Seaman (No Microphone or cardboard over-casing on this one. But intact, so I'll keep looking).
7. Marvel vs. Capcom (Too bad this one has no manual)
8. Alien Front - Online (Complete with Mic, cardboard over-casing and all other goodies)
9. Phantasy Star Online
10. Phantasy Star Online Ver. 2
11. Omikron - The Nomad Soul
12. Hydro Thunder
13. Ecco the Dolphin
14. Gauntlet Legends
15. Centipede
16. Silent Scope
17. Fur Fighters
18. Armada
19. Soul Fighter
20. Space Channel 5

Other Stuff:
-Dreamcast Generator Vol. 2: (This one came packaged with the later DC units)
-Dreamcast Mag Discs in cardboard covers 3,4,5,6,7,8 & 9. (Too bad my early, non-hardcore collector self threw the actual mags away :(. For that I shall forever keep looking to complete that mag and promo disc collection).
-Browsers 1.0 and 2.0
-Shenmue Prima Strategy Guide
-Resident Evil Code Veronica Strategy Guide (although this one works for the PS2 version too).
-I also recently purchased a sealed Neo Geo Pocket Color (for its awesome, though minimalistic, interphase capabilities). It is, I consider, the spiritual successor of the Game Gear (even though Majesco kept making them till 2001 and the NGPC came after the NGP ;).

Games I plan to buy next: (I can't wait :))
1. Skies of Arcadia
2. Evolution
3. Evolution 2
4. Tokyo Xtreme Racer 2
5. Dead or Alive 2
6. Elemental Gimmick Gear
7. Giga Wing 2
8. Blue Stinger
9. Carrier
10. Zombie Revenge
11. Crazy Taxi 2
12. D2
13. Dino Crisis
14. Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver
15. MDK 2
16. Record of Lodoss War
17. Time Stalkers
18. Silver
19. Sword of the Berserk
20. Soulcalibur

[kafa111]

i became a dreamcast collector when they were released,
and when i downloaded nero soon after >:D

[SpaceFlea]

Dreamcast was actually the frist console for which I wanted to and did complete a full complete US set. I loved it from the day it came out. And, like QuickSciFi, I'm still rockin' my launch DC.

My favorite game on the DC and the one I suggest everyone acquire is the much under appreciated and seemingly forgotten "Red Dog: Superior Firepower." A stellar game both single and multiplayer. I mention this because QuickSciFi listed 1/4 of the DC library and it was nowhere to be found. :(

And, in regard to the number of DC collectors, it's always been a very hot collector's console. The scene has been very active ever since its demise. It's pretty much a cult classic. Everyone seems to think of it as a dirty pleasure - at least they do when I bring one over to a random party. :bday:

[kafa111]

My favorite game on the DC and the one I suggest everyone acquire is the much under appreciated and seemingly forgotten "Red Dog: Superior Firepower." A stellar game both single and multiplayer. I mention this because QuickSciFi listed 1/4 of the DC library and it was nowhere to be found. :(

I <3 red dog!!! :D

also i forgot to add but my favorite game on the dc is definitly skies of arcadia with pso/sonic adventure 2 right in second

[Black_Tiger]

I bought a DC at launch and have loved it ever since.

[ncman071]

i remember when the DC was released in 99.....and i was skeptical....i was one of those loyal playstation fans and when i realized the ps2 was coming out dvd ready...i decided to pass on the DC....i also felt the ps2 would have better support blahblahblah at the time..................

fast forward about 2 years later 01 i believe and i decided to visit Funcoland...the very first videogame specific store i had ever been to......i could not believe my eyes....tons of snes/genesis/n64/DREAMCAST, etc.....

That store became the greatest obsession i had ever had....started visiting at least twice a month for like a year.....it was bad!

but anyway so one day i noticed they had a loose sega sports DC on sale for like $50....with NFL 2K....i bought it of course and could not believe how amazing the grahics were and how awesome the system design was....

that was the first game since donkey kong country on snes that made me want to lick the screen!

Anyway, i've been a DC fan ever since...it was and still is a wonderful system with a huge amount of fantastic titles...i currently own about 45 of them with the most recent titles being.....MVC 2, last blade 2, and a few others that i got @ a relatively local flea market...

btw, my old sega sports version broke when i was in college,, i replaced it with white one...still works beautifully.......but also in 2009 i bought a brand new never been opened before sega sports model that came with nfl 2k and nba 2k....i paid too much but it was worth it to me

[Garry]

I wanted a DC to play Half Life, so i put off buying one on lauch day and waited... and waited, until i couldn't wait no more! I went into the shop to buy one and the sales assistant made a point of showing everyone who worked in the store the dreamcast box, her big 'look what i managed to sell' moment. It was only out a couple of months at this stage! I picked up all the games i wanted as they came out, Shenmue 1+2, Grandia 2, Skies of Arcadia, far too many football games etc. Now i'm slowly inching my way to a total pal collection.
There was a period where you could pick up pads, mice, keyboards and guns dirt cheap too, so i stocked up.
I eventually bought Half Life for the PS2, but never finished it as i thought it got crap after you went to the alien world, and i haven't been able to go back to the Half Life games since.

[DuckTalesNES]

My favorite DC game = Typing of the Dead

[SegaAges]

I am proud to say that I still have a working Launch DC. My B-Day is in October, so I have been collecting for DC since Early October of 99.

It is by far my favorite console of all time.

The thing that got me into it: I am a Sega Fanboy. Always have been. Always will be. Moving to the DC and collecting for it was natural for me.

[djshok]

This topic is relevant to my interests. I just became a Dreamcast collector last week when I got a killer a deal on one from a seller on Sega-16. My wife has wanted this system for a while now to play Blue Stinger and the opportunity was perfect.

Currently we only have a few games:
- Blue Stinger
- Soul Calibur
- Ecco
- Unreal Tournament
- Zombie Revenge

Crazy Taxi and Jet Grind Radio are on the way.

I'm not sure what other games to get since I never really paid much attention to this system when it was alive. I keep hearing that Shenmue is the shit, but from what I've seen of it, it really doesn't look like anything I'd want to play. The character designs and game environment look like tosh, so I'm not interested. Though with the DC having a decent sized library I have quite a lot of games to check out.

[kainemaxwell]

Got into Dreamcast collecting, and video game collecting after winning a DC and a pile of games from the DigitalPress Survivor game some years back. Been hooked and loving the system since.

[SpaceFlea]

I'm not sure what other games to get since I never really paid much attention to this system when it was alive. I keep hearing that Shenmue is the shit, but from what I've seen of it, it really doesn't look like anything I'd want to play. The character designs and game environment look like tosh, so I'm not interested. Though with the DC having a decent sized library I have quite a lot of games to check out.

If by tosh you mean the best the system has to offer, then you sir would be correct.

I suggest to you Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver. Perhaps during your vast soul consumption spree you will devour a lifeforce capable of bringing you to the realization that your Shenmue comment caused the deaths of many innocent kittens - and there will be sadness.

[QuickSciFi]

^That.

[Griking]

i became a dreamcast collector when they were released,
and when i downloaded nero soon after >:D

The Dreamcast was a great little console. I can't imagine why it didn't succeed.

[sheath]

Somebody threw a wall of money at it. A bunch of other somebodies kept printing "rumors" about Sega dropping it at the first sign of trouble every month of its life. Then at every successful sales mile stone the first somebody and one of their biggest supporters made a press release about something else doing even better when it eventually arrived.

[djshok]

If by tosh you mean the best the system has to offer, then you sir would be correct.

I suggest to you Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver. Perhaps during your vast soul consumption spree you will devour a lifeforce capable of bringing you to the realization that your Shenmue comment caused the deaths of many innocent kittens - and there will be sadness.

Nah, I understand that Shenmue is an amazing technical feat for the system and it introduces a bunch of stuff that games didn't do until then, and I appreciate that. I just don't like the aesthetic of the game, the characters and environments really don't do it for me, ie: it's stuff I'd prefer not to look at because it looks boring and the characters are kinda ugly and look like Tekken rejects.

Good call on Soul Reaver though, I remember that from back in the day when my friend had it on PC, didn't know it was on DC too, I'll have to check that out.

[swlovinist]

14 games away from a US set, and I have very fond memories of the system and its games. I got to work at a Gamestop at the systems launch, which was pretty awesome. I remember a very solid launch and folks dropping some serious coin on the system, games and all of its accessories. Since its launch, I have gotten games here and there, and mostly got about 2/3 of my games before 2004, when most games were on clearance. I collect the dreamcast because it was a sold system, with many top rated games, exclusives, as well as a system that was sleek looking. I I plan on wrapping up my collection this year, and may wait to purchase the final game on 9-9-11 just in honor of its anniversary.

[Lerxstnj]

Why I got into DC collecting is because of the arcade games. I was never a Sega fanboy. I don't have too many Genesis games, and don't own a Saturn. But around 2002 I saw the low prices of used Dreamcasts and had to have one. Then eventually I had so many games that I had to have back up systems. Still collecting and playing the DC to this day... And it still has the best arcade games of all systems.

[sheath]

Nah, I understand that Shenmue is an amazing technical feat for the system and it introduces a bunch of stuff that games didn't do until then, and I appreciate that. I just don't like the aesthetic of the game, the characters and environments really don't do it for me, ie: it's stuff I'd prefer not to look at because it looks boring and the characters are kinda ugly and look like Tekken rejects.

Good call on Soul Reaver though, I remember that from back in the day when my friend had it on PC, didn't know it was on DC too, I'll have to check that out.

Shenmue is best experienced as a virtual immersion in to 1980s Japan according to Yu Suzuki. If you make it like you're on a vacation and just soak in the experience there is plenty of enjoyment to be had. I also suggest you play Grand Theft Auto III briefly before popping in Shenmue if you want to get a glimpse at the aesthetic value this game provides.

Soul Reaver on Dreamcast is the definitive version, it has enhanced polygon models for the characters higher resolution textures and a significantly longer draw distance. It is still nowhere near what the Dreamcast was easily capable of (See Sword of the Berserk) but it beats the pants off the other versions.

[SpaceFlea]

Shenmue is best experienced as a virtual immersion in to 1980s Japan according to Yu Suzuki. If you make it like you're on a vacation and just soak in the experience there is plenty of enjoyment to be had. I also suggest you play Grand Theft Auto III briefly before popping in Shenmue if you want to get a glimpse at the aesthetic value this game provides.

Soul Reaver on Dreamcast is the definitive version, it has enhanced polygon models for the characters higher resolution textures and a significantly longer draw distance. It is still nowhere near what the Dreamcast was easily capable of (See Sword of the Berserk) but it beats the pants off the other versions.

Oh yes, Sword of the Berserk is an AMAZING game - another one that defines the console!

[allyourblood]

I bought my first Dreamcast shortly after its launch, and have been collecting casually ever since. The sharp, colorful graphics grabbed me right away, and were a lot easier on the eyes than the 3D mess that was currently happening in every PSX game.

I liked the built-in modem and played a lot of online games with friends which was a huge plus for me. I also loved that Sega was allowing a lot of games on the system that Nintendo and Sony wouldn't have bothered with (shooters mostly). One of my favorite games on the system is Bangai-O, which I can't imagine being released on any other system in the US at that time; heck, I'm sure Nintendo could've done it if they wanted to, considering they released it in Japan (one of my fave N64 games, by the way).

Now I collect for it locally whenever I find a game I don't already own. The library is relatively small, games aren't too expensive or hard to find (most of the time), and most of the games are a lot of fun.

[Lerxstnj]

BTW, there is a DC collectors group page here.
http://www.digitpress.com/forum/group.php?groupid=3

[The 1 2 P]

One way or another I pretty much collect for nearly every available system, regardless if I have it or not. I have had my Dreamcast for about 4 or 5 years and it still sits on my shelf....factory sealed. Luckily I got a spare about a year or two ago to actually play my games and try out a few of my demos. I have a DC gameshark that I use to play import games on and that helped me test out all my demos.

Speaking of demos, I have nearly all of the Dreamcast individual demos and every magazine one from the US, along with every Japanese magazine demo. I also have a nice hand full of games but unfortunately I haven't gotten to play them much besides for Mortal Kombat Gold.

[QuickSciFi]

BTW, there is a DC collectors group page here.
http://www.digitpress.com/forum/group.php?groupid=3

*joined*

Though I feel it needs a discussion topic of some sort. :)

[MrSmiley381]

I got my Dreamcast at the tail end of 2000. It died a few weeks ago, despite otherwise being maintained. I've sold off a lot of games in the past, but I've recently started rebuilding my collection. The primary reason is that the games are fun and unique. Multi-platform games have a tendency to be better on the Dreamcast and Capcom fighting games were practically perfect during its release, barring a few bad ports. It's the one system where I love playing it. It's cheap to collect for aside from a few high-cost rarities. It's a fun system. That's why I grab Dreamcast games when I can.

[Ballermann2D]

not sure exactly when, just started buying games i liked since its release in 98 - not aiming for a complete collection though as i´m quite content with my roughly 300-350 games (not keeping track) - most of these are japanese versions. its the only system i collect for, even though i had tons of games on PC before i went for the console-only way of gaming in ´96

[retroman]

mine started on 9.9.99...and still love my Dreamcast as much as i did then..